Dear Lactnet Friends:

Patricia Young's post about seeing others breastfeed brought back a host of
memories.

Remember the validated stories about the gorillas that learned to
breastfeed by seeing humans breastfeeding outside the gorilla enclosure?

A consequence of the cover-up movement is that children don't see
breastfeeding, so it doesn't get planted in the garden of their fundamental
learning.

A participant in a 5-day breastfeeding counseling course told us of leading
childbirth education classes in a state where breastfeeding was not done; I
think it was Kentucky or Tennessee. This story was told in the 90s.

One day, her daughter, who was nursing a new baby, had to come with her to
class. Her daughter sat in the back of the classroom, nursing and tending
to her baby, not engaging or speaking to anyone.

That particular class had a 100% breastfeeding initiation.

I used to bring my nursling with me to childbirth classes; when she was a
babe in arms, and in her sling, she would nurse intermittently throughout
the class. I never said one word about breastfeeding.  At the end of class,
I would ask, "How many times did my baby breastfeed?"  Half the class
didn't notice that she was!  The other half knew, but couldn't give a
number.

When a member of the lactation team had a baby, she asked to bring it with
her when she worked in the Health Centers. Despite my vigorous support, the
powers above said no. There was no good reason. The mothers coming to the
Health Centers were bringing their babies. One's own nursing baby is the
best education tool of all.

For one thing, one demonstrates that nursing a baby is compatible with
life.  Chris Mulford used to say something like, "Nursing a baby makes it
easier to be a mother."

When we segregate babies away from our lives, we forget about them, and
don't make space for them.

warmly,

-- 
Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI, ANLC, CKC, RYT
Reviews Editor,* Clinical Lactation*
www.nikkileehealth.com
Pronouns: she/her/hers
*Communications are confidential and meant only for whom they are
addressed.*

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